SOUTHAMPTON Airport bosses have said it will be business as usual after it was taken over by a new firm.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo Heathrow Airport Holdings (HAH) agreed to sell the airport to a consortium led by infrastructure giant Ferrovial and Australia-based Macquarie.

The two firms led a £1.048 billion purchase of Southampton, Aberdeen and Glasgow airports, which has been finalised today.

A statement confirming the takeover was this morning issued by the airport which is worth £100m per year to the local economy and sees about 1.7m passengers go through its doors each year.

Dave Lees, Managing Director, Southampton Airport said: “Today Southampton Airport becomes part of AGS Airports Ltd. AGS is an equal partnership between Ferrovial and Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (MIRA), owning Southampton, Glasgow and Aberdeen Airports. A new Chairman of AGS Ltd, Sir Peter Mason, has been appointed.

“We will still continue to operate independently as an airport under local management in a similar way to before. It is very much “business as usual” as we head into the busy Christmas period. We are pleased to be welcoming Southampton Airport's new owners as we enter the next exciting phase of this award winning airport.”